Experts alarmed over abuse of OTC drugs

Researchers found that approximately a quarter of all addicts receiving treatment in India had abused various kinds of prescription drugs, like sedatives and opiates.TNN | Updated: September 25, 2016, 15:34 IST

(Representative image)PUNE: Abuse of legal, widely-available drugs is a rising concern in the country, experts say.

Mukta Puntambekar, who runs de-addiction centre Muktangan, said that those with alcohol, tobacco and drug addictions visit the centre most for rehabilitation.

However, there are many people who turn up at the centre because of abuse of prescription drugs, she says.

A report published by United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) a few years ago paints a stark picture of the level of prescription drug abuse in the subcontinent, especially in India.

Researchers found that approximately a quarter of all addicts receiving treatment in India had abused various kinds of prescription drugs, like sedatives and opiates.

This is reinforced by the Union home ministry, which has the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) under its aegis.

"The abuse of pharmaceutical drugs in India has assumed serious proportions in recent times... There is also the perception that these pharmaceutical drugs are less harmful than heroin and cocaine. However, this is a misconception, since these can be addictive and also have a debilitating effect on health," says an excerpt of the 2015 NCB report.

Puntambekar agrees and says, that the side effects from some of these drugs can seriously affect the human body."Quite a few people who come here have abused cough syrups, pain killers, sleeping pills and other medications that are readily available. The most dangerous parts of overdosing and abusing such drugs are its side-effects. They end up damaging vital organs of the body."

Most reports about the issue lists codeine-based cough syrups as a frequently-abused drug. The list also includes basic paracetamol, alprazolam, diazepam- depressants, opiates used as painkillers, as well as steroids like nandralone and other body-building foods, some of which are banned by anti-doping codes and are listed under Schedule X.

The NCB report also adds that frequently misused drugs also include the ingredients used to make some of these final products. The report frequently mentions seizures of large hauls of legally-manufactured ephedrine and pseudo-ephedrine. They are used in products like cough syrups.

The easy availability of such drugs, experts say, fuels these addictions, particularly among youngsters. Laxity on part of chemists is another factor, they say.

"All drugs should require prescriptions, but it is absolutely essential when it comes to psychotropic drugs or medicines under Schedule X. These addicts often forge prescriptions or even use the same prescription multiple times. Lack of proper monitoring by chemists aggravates the issue," Puntambekar says.

"Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, especially ones marketed on television, have to be sold to the customer with or without prescriptions. But for antibiotics and other critical drugs, no one from our association is allowed to sell even one unit without a proper, stamped prescription," Maharashtra State Chemists and Druggists Association's Anil Belkar says.

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